The geologist, who conducted the geotechnical soil test for the collapsed 7-storey building in the GRA axis of Port Harcourt, Daniel Erekosima, has said he certified the soil as being suitable for a one-storey building and not for a seven-storey.
Daniel Erokosima who appeared before the Justice Adolphus Enebeli’s commission of enquiry on Monday said “I prepared the soil test for the collapsed building. I was told the building would be a one-storey building by one Mr Ade, the man who took me to the site and who also paid me for my work.
“We don’t compromise when it comes to our work, because structural engineers depend on it.”
Also Dr Tammy Danagogo, a former Commissioner in the Rivers State Ministry of Urban Development and Physical Planning, said dereliction and compromises made by top officials in the ministry of urban development and physical planning was responsible for the collapse of the 7-Storey building at Woji Road, Plot 80 GRA Phase 2, Port Harcourt.
Danagogo accused Dr Reason Onya, the current commissioner and directors in the ministry for playing a major role in the in building collapse.
Danagogo, who served as commissioner in the ministry from October 2011 to December 2013, made the allegation on Monday when he appeared before the Justice Adolphus Enebeli’s Commission of Inquiry.
He used the opportunity to tell the commission about the practices and mode of operations of the ministry.
The former commissioner stressed that before he assumed office, there were many sharp practices in the ministry, including indiscriminate approval of building plans by directors.
He pointed out that he was able to curb the excesses in the ministry.
He said, “When I got there, there was indiscriminate approval of building plans by the directors in the ministry.
“Every director approved plans; they (the directors) all had their boys, who would meet every prospective client and take them to their masters. In most cases, the proper thing was not done.
“As a result, I set up a committee consisting members of the Nigerian Society of Engineers, Nigerian Institute of Architects and other professional bodies. We restructured the system and came up with a template for building plan approval and a checklist.”
He further accused the current commissioner and directors in the ministry of neglecting their duties.
According to him “Anywhere you see a building collapse, it means that someone has not done his job properly. That is what I have learnt in my experience, otherwise buildings don’t just collapse unless there is a natural disaster.
“There is dereliction of duty and compromise on the part of the commissioner, Dr Reason Onyia, and the directors in the Ministry of Urban Development and Physical Planning, because if the right thing was done, any irregularities on the part of the owner of the building or his agent, in this case, the drawer of the building plan, would have been detected from the approval stage.”
Sir Joseph Alagoa, the owner of the collapsed seven-storey building, said he paid all necessary government fees through the building plan designer and seldom visited the site before the building collapsed.
He stated, “I paid all the necessary government fees before the project commenced in January 2017. The architect I hired recruited all the workers, including the professionals on the site.
“I usually go to the site any time I was in town to check the work, because the work was really in progress.”
